The Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas is pleased to announce that it has received a $10,000 grant from The Allen Foundation for the Arts to support "Black to the Future: A Black Science Fiction Festival," to be held June 11-13, 2004 at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.

"We value the support and interest The Allen Foundation for the Arts has shown for this project," said Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas executive director Stephanie Ellis-Smith. "This funding will allow us to celebrate the black science fiction writers that are pushing the boundaries of the speculative genre that have often been overlooked by both science fiction and mainstream scholarship."

(see related Afro-Futurism text)

The first festival of its kind, Black to the Future: A Black Science Fiction Festival will be a tribute to the contributions of science fiction's black authors. For three days, Seattle and King County will experience mind-bending panels, performances, and activities, including:

á A Black Sci-Fi Film Festival á Interactive staged scenes from sci-fi graphic novels á Discussions by accomplished black science fiction writers, including Octavia Butler, Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, and Walter Mosley á A Black Science Fiction Book Fair "Black to the Future: A Black Science Fiction Festival will provide a welcome networking opportunity for writers who are currently published, but it would electrify young writers and fans, black and white, who have never considered the degree to which writers of color have been a part of this field," said science fiction/fantasy writer Tananarive Due. This festival will reach fans of literature, film, artist from all genres, youth and the general public, exposing them to the remarkable contributions that blacks have made to science fiction.

The Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization that advocates and promotes greater awareness of African-Americans in the arts, humanities, sciences and public affairs. We offer a glimpse into the lives and accomplishments of African-Americans contributing to the vibrancy of contemporary American thought and culture.

For more information about the festival, contact Stephanie Ellis-Smith or Denee McCloud at 206-323-4032 or via email at info@cdforum.org.

The Allen Foundation for the Arts strengthens the Pacific Northwests cultural community and encourages its creativity and vitality. The Foundation supports projects and organizations that advance the visual, performing, and literary arts; feature local, regional and national artists in a variety of disciplines; and encourage public participation and the promotion of critical thinking.

For more information contact: Michael Nank at 206-342-2000 or via email at michaelna@vulcan.com


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